Austin named U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best Place to Live’ for second straight year

On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report released its 2018 Best Places to Live list and Austin took the top spot for the second consecutive year. The list ranks the top 135 metropolitan areas in the country based on affordability, job prospects, and quality of life.

Two cities in Colorado — Colorado Springs and Denver — took the next two spots, with Des Moines, Iowa, and Fayetteville, Arkansas, making up the rest of the top five.

“When deciding on a place to settle down, it’s important to understand that where a person lives can impact their well-being,” said Kim Castro, executive editor at U.S. News. “U.S. News created the Best Places to Live to highlight areas across the country that have the characteristics residents are looking for, including steady job growth and affordability. The top-ranked places are areas where citizens can feel the most fulfilled socially, physically and financially.”

Here’s how U.S. News & World Report breaks down Austin.

Don’t be surprised if there’s a graphic forthcoming from the Texas football program hailing Austin’s placement on the list in the coming days — it’s not a bad selling point to recruits that only Arkansas can come close to matching among Power Five programs.